Other rally
Brock in GP rally
Touring car legend Peter Brock will come out of retirement to compete in the 2001 Trading Post Grand Prix Rally, through regional Victoria from February 24-28, with his youngest son. The nine-time Bathurst winner and Australian Grand Prix ...
Edited: Apr 15, 2002, 11:45 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Touring car legend Peter Brock will come out of retirement to compete in the 2001 Trading Post Grand Prix Rally, through regional Victoria from February 24-28, with his youngest son.
The nine-time Bathurst winner and Australian Grand Prix Corporation board member and ambassador will drive his personal Holden Commodore VX SS in the 2000-kilometre, five-day Rally to the 2001 Qantas Australian Grand Prix (March 1-4), with his 20 year-old son Rob in the navigators seat.
Brock has emphasised that its not going to be just a family bonding experience, while rookie Rob says hes hoping I can get him to take some direction for once!
Brock, who walked away gloriously from full-time motor sport at the end of 1997, said: Like every motor sport event Ive ever been in, Im planning to have a red hot go!
Rob and I will be getting up to speed with the navigation between now and the event and Ill be dusting off my motorkhana techniques for the tighter stuff.
However when we get to Winton and Calder, Ill be on much more familiar territory. Although I havent competed at either circuit against the clock since I retired from regular racing, you dont forget much when youve done as many laps there as I have.
The five-day Trading Post Grand Prix Rally, from February 24 to 28, will start in Shepparton and cris-cross Victoria on its way to Melbourne, stopping overnight in Shepparton, Bendigo and Geelong. Competitors will take part in 25 driving tests and numerous navigation events on the way.
After its formal finish in Melbourne, the rally cars will take to the Formula One circuit at Albert Park on March 2 and 3 for parade laps during the Qantas Australian Grand Prix, which concludes with the opening round of the FIA Formula One World Championship on March 4.
In entering the Trading Post Grand Prix Rally, Peter Brock follows in the wheeltracks of many top Australian V8 Supercar drivers who have competed in the Grand Prix Rally since it began in 1988. Others include Jim Richards, Steven Richards, Dick Johnson, Alan Jones, Wayne Gardner, and Brad Jones.
Although Brock and six-time Bathurst winner Jim Richards shared three of their Mt. Panorama victories together in Holdens in 1978, 79 and 80, they will meet as Modern Category rivals in the 2001 Trading Post Grand Prix Rally.
Both gained early career notoriety in rally events Brock dominating Rallycross in Australia at the wheel of a fearsome supercharged Holden Torana, while Richards rallied a Ford Escort in his native New Zealand.
They have each since gone on to more rally glory. Brock won the gruelling two-week-long 1979 Repco Reliability Trial in a new Commodore and has since competed in two other Round Australia Trials, the Australian Safari and Targa Tasmania, while Richards has won four Targa Tasmanias and five Grand Prix Rallies all driving Porsches.
While Richards latest four-wheel-drive, 420-horsepower turbocharged Porsche 911 might be difficult for even Brock to toss in a two-wheel-drive Commodore, Australias best-known touring car driver will have other Rally competitors like V8 supercar driver Peter Gazzard and his $191,190 V8-engined Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK55, in his sights.
Gazzard, who won the Grand Prix Rally outright in 1999 driving a Subaru WRX STi, finished third last year in a fast, but much bulkier V8-engined Mercedes-Benz AMG E55 four-door sedan a vehicle not unlike Brocks SS Commodore.
-Motor Web
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Michael Doohan profile 2001 Targa Tasmania
Next article Resultats Rallye Perce-Neige Maniwaki
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Peter Brock
The major moments that made Holden a motorsport force
Supercars
Supercars
The major moments that made Holden a motorsport force
Perkins to run Brock tribute livery at Sandown
Supercars
Supercars
Sandown
Perkins to run Brock tribute livery at Sandown
McLaughlin won't compare himself to Peter Brock
Supercars
Supercars
McLaughlin won't compare himself to Peter Brock
Latest news
Why it's now Oliver Bearman versus Rafael Camara for the next Ferrari vacancy
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
6 min
Why it's now Oliver Bearman versus Rafael Camara for the next Ferrari vacancy
MotoGP Australian GP: Marco Bezzecchi leads Aprilia 1-2-4-5 in Friday Practice
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
2 h
MotoGP Australian GP: Marco Bezzecchi leads Aprilia 1-2-4-5 in Friday Practice
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
9 h
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
10 h
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe